Most ABSS teachers meet state effectiveness standard

By Isaac Groves / Times-News

Published: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 06:51 PM.

FIRST, THE STATE accepted a waiver from consequences of the No Child Left Behind law and hundreds of millions of dollars of Federal Race to the Top money with some conditions. One of them was to use “student-growth data” as part of the teacher evaluation system, which is where the “expected growth” measures come in.

Those data come from comparing current test scores to previous years’ to see how students are progressing, which the state has done for years in reading and math, Garland said. But it is harder to measure in subjects like art, music and even foreign languages.

Garland estimated those test scores can rate about 60 percent of teachers now. She hopes they will rate about 95 percent by next school year.

Second, the state legislature has changed the rules by eliminating tenure by 2018, and lawsuits are challenging those rule changes. Garland said she hoped there would be more clarity after the next legislative session.

So, for the time being, these teacher evaluations are there for districts and schools to learn from, though, Garland said, some districts could use the data to determine which teachers to offer longer contracts and bonuses to as part of the transition away from teacher tenure.

It is not easy to say how well teachers are doing, even if the state and federal governments do not keep handing out new rules for how to do it, which they do.

“This has been very difficult work,” said Rebecca Garland, deputy state superintendent of public schools.

Close to 80 percent of teachers in the Alamance-Burlington School System met or exceeded expected growth in student academic performance, mostly test scores, in the 2012-13 school year, according to educator effectiveness data from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, released Wednesday.

Most ABSS teachers rated “proficient” or “accomplished,” the third- and fourth-highest of the five categories rating five standards of teacher performance in and out of the classroom. Principals and other administrators who give those ratings based their observation of teachers using guidance, or rubrics, from the state, Garland said.

The state has measured educator effectiveness based on those observations for close to eight years, with an eye on using the measures to determine whether teachers would get tenure and bonuses, or even be fired.

But a lot has changed in education since then.

FIRST, THE STATE accepted a waiver from consequences of the No Child Left Behind law and hundreds of millions of dollars of Federal Race to the Top money with some conditions. One of them was to use “student-growth data” as part of the teacher evaluation system, which is where the “expected growth” measures come in.

Those data come from comparing current test scores to previous years’ to see how students are progressing, which the state has done for years in reading and math, Garland said. But it is harder to measure in subjects like art, music and even foreign languages.

Garland estimated those test scores can rate about 60 percent of teachers now. She hopes they will rate about 95 percent by next school year.

Second, the state legislature has changed the rules by eliminating tenure by 2018, and lawsuits are challenging those rule changes. Garland said she hoped there would be more clarity after the next legislative session.

So, for the time being, these teacher evaluations are there for districts and schools to learn from, though, Garland said, some districts could use the data to determine which teachers to offer longer contracts and bonuses to as part of the transition away from teacher tenure.

RATING TEACHERS on student performance only started recently, but the other five standards have been around longer.

One: Teachers demonstrating leadership in schools. This is one of the out-of-the-classroom standards. Garland said teaching their best practices to other teachers, working with parents’ organizations or working on school improvement projects are examples. About 52 percent of local teachers ranked “accomplished,” and 12 percent ranked “distinguished,” the highest category.

Two: Teaching to diverse populations, meaning all kinds of diversity, from different learning styles to different races to different social classes, in a respectful environment. The largest group, 47 percent, was “accomplished.”

Three: Knowing the content they teach. This was one area where most, about 55 percent, of local teachers rated “proficient,” which is in the middle of the categories.

Four: Facilitating learning for students, meaning using resources to address the strengths and weaknesses of their students. About 52 percent of local teachers ranked “accomplished.”

Five: Teachers reflecting on their practices, meaning using data and results to see what is and is not working in class, and improving their work.